Country club, but make it cute

The GIST: It’s only the second round at the Australian Open (tennis’ first Grand Slam of the season), but headlines are already popping Down Under, from unexpected upsets to a Brazilian teen making a splash in his first career Slam. Ready your Wii remote and dig in.

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, No. 3 Coco Gauff cruise to third round: Two-time defending Australian Open champ Sabalenka shows no signs of slowing down, defeating unseeded Jéssica Bouzas Maneiro in straight sets last night, while super girl Gauff topped Jodie Burrage in the wee hours of the morning.

• Similarly, world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz and No. 7 Novak Djokovic (plus his new buddy) topped their unseeded opponents last night. All chalk.

Eighteen-year-old João Fonseca stuns No. 9 Andrey Rublev: The new kid on the block, teenaged Fonseca, downed 10-time major quarter-finalist Rublev in three sensational sets yesterday. The Brazilian’s tremendous Grand Slam debut continues against Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego later today.

• And the women’s side was not without stunners last night. First, unseeded German Laura Siegemund topped last year’s runner-up No. 5 Qinwen Zheng in straight sets.

• Then four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka defeated No. 20 Karolina Muchová, advancing to the third round in a major for the first time since returning from maternity leave. What can’t moms do?

No. 30 Leylah Fernandez is moving on: Canada’s pride and joy is on her best Australian Open run yet, making it to the third round for the first time in her career after defeating Cristina Bucşa last night. But, on the men's side, No. 29 Félix Auger-Aliassime is currently battling with Alejandro Davidovich to get to the next round.

The GIST: ICYMI, Tomorrow’s Golf League (TGL) is making waves…today. The tech-infused 3-on-3 golf tournament created by icons Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy drew nearly 1M viewers for last week’s debut, while last night’s second installment saw LA Golf Club beat Woods’ Jupiter Links Golf Club in front of an A-list crowd.

• With two weeks of virtual golf in the books, let’s answer some burning questions about golf’s latest hole-in-one.

Why is it special?: Well, for starters, it’s indoors: Golfers compete on the largest golf simulator in the world — the screen stands five stories tall, aka 24 times (!!!) larger than a standard simulator. The custom-built TGL facility boasts the latest tech, making it as close as possible to the real outdoors deal.

• The other fun difference is that while golf is typically an individual sport, in the TGL, it’s a team sport, building off dramatic, tension-filled team events like the Solheim and Ryder Cups. Golf is just better with friends — especially when they’re mic’d up.

Who’s playing?: Twenty-four of the world’s best golfers make up the six star-studded teams. Including McIlroy, TGL boasts six of the top 10 golfers in the world, not to mention some of the biggest names in the sport with the aforementioned Woods, Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler, and Max Homa in the mix.

How does it work?: Two teams (but just three golfers from each squad’s four-person roster) compete in each two-hour, two-part, 15-hole event. The first session is 3-on-3, where three golfers from each team alternate shots for nine holes while the second session is a six-hole, one-on-one battle, where each golfer plays two holes against the same opponent. Drama.

What’s up with the course?: The league’s three course designers let their imaginations run wild in the creation of the event’s 30 unique holes. Some holes look like they could exist in the real world while others…definitely don’t. With a $21M pot on the line, playing on an active volcano is, ahem, par for the course.

How does TGL fit within the PGA?: Great question, especially considering all 24 TGL golfers compete on the Tour. The TGL operates in partnership with the PGA and will run alongside the Tour with events slated for Mondays (and Tuesdays later in the season) so golfers can still compete on the Thursday-to-Sunday PGA grind. Tee-riffic.

🏒 PWHL: Minnesota Frost vs. NY Sirens — Tonight at 7 p.m. ET — TSN

• The kids are definitely alright heading into this icy showdown: NY’s 2024 No. 1 draft pick Sarah Fillier and Minnesota’s rookie phenom Claire Thompson are knotted at 10 points apiece, tied for best in the league. Ready the lamps.

🏐 PVF: Indy Ignite vs. Grand Rapids Rise — Tomorrow at 7 p.m. ET — YouTube

• The first of three PVF games gracing our screens tomorrow, the winless Rise will try to live up to their name after dropping both games last weekend, while the Ignite, who won their one and only match, hope to heat it up once more.

🏀 NBA: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder — Tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. ET — TSN

• Another matchup between the league’s top two teams? Say less. The Cavs eked out a 129–122 win over OKC last week, but history won’t repeat itself if Canadian hoops hero Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his 31.4 points per game have anything to say about it.

🏒 NHL: Montreal Canadiens vs. Dallas Stars — Tomorrow at 8 p.m. ET — TSN

• The Stars escaped Montreal with a shootout win when these squads faced off last week. That said, the Habs have been on a tear lately and the Dallas loss is the only blemish over their last five games. Set the table — revenge is a dish best served on ice.